Harvard Psychological Studies, Volume 1 eBook

by F., and the subject moved the ‘variable’
line, denoted by V., until he found the arrangement
aesthetically pleasing. The experimenter alone
placed F. at the given reading, and read off the position
of V. After the choice F. was placed at the next interval,
V. was again tried in different positions, and so
on. In the following tables the successive positions
of F. are given in the left column, reading downward,
and the corresponding positions of V. in the right
column. The different choices are placed together,
but in case of any preference the second choice is
indicated. The measurements are always in millimeters.
Thus, F. 40, V. 60, means that F. is 40 mm. to one
side of the center, and V. 60 mm. to the opposite
side. F. 80x10, V. 160x10, means that the white
cardboard strips 80 mm.x10 mm., etc., are used.
The minus sign prefixed to a reading means that the
variable was placed on the side of the fixed line.
An X indicates aesthetic dislike—­refusal
to choose. An asterisk (*) indicates a second
choice.

The following tables are specimen sets made by the
subjects C, O, and D.

Now, on Dr. Pierce’s theory, the variable in
the first set should be nearer the center, since it
is twice the size of the fixed line;—­but
the choices V. 120, 166, 130 for F. 40; V. 110, 104,
102, 126 for F. 80; V. 128 for F. 120; V. 196 for
F. 160; V. 230, 220 for F. 200, show that other forces
are at work. If these variations from the expected
were slight, or if the presence of second choices did
not show a certain opposition or contrast between
the two positions, they might disappear in an average.
But the position of F. 40, over against V. 120, 166,
130, is evidently not a chance variation. Still
more striking are the variations for I. (b).
Here we should expect the variable, being smaller,
to be farther from the center. But for F. 40,
we have V. 27, 34; for F. 80, all nearer but two; for
F. 120, V. 60, 56, 48, 82, 70; for F. 160, V. 29,
74, 16, 77, 138, and for F. 200, V. 96, 36, 25, 36,
177—­while several positions on the same
side of the center as the constant show a point of
view quite irreconcilable with mechanical balance.